Door

Thesis project for my MFA in Visual Narrative from the School of Visual Arts, 2016

The production from script to screen took from January 2016 -July 4th 2016 to complete. I wrote the script, and then storyboarded the entire thing in Toonboom Storyboard Pro. I imported the storyboard into Toonboom Harmony, where I animated the characters in roughs, outlines with lipsync, color, and shading, and then exported the characters as PNG sequences into AfterEffects, where I composited in the backgrounds.

I used various techniques in AfterEffects to create lighting, shadows, effects, and atmosphere. The entire project was then edited in Adobe Premiere, and sound designed in Audition. It was shown at SVA's Gramercy Gallery in an installation designed around the characters from July 9-26th, 2016.

Door

The trailer for my thesis project, Door, for the MFA Visual Narrative program at the School of Visual Arts. I wrote, directed, sound designed, and animated the project from summer 2015 to summer 2016 for its debut screening at the SVA Gramercy Gallery from July 9-26th, 2016.

Door is the story of Gaia, a teenager who has just moved into a creepy house with her mother and is determined to hate it, despite her mother’s reassurances. When a mysterious green door begins to stalk Gaia, she literally stumbles through it into another world, one that manifests a person’s greatest fear- in Gaia’s case, spiders. Though the door repeatedly attempts to trap her in its world, her mother refuses to believe her. In the end, Gaia must summon the bravery to face her fears and come together with her mother to defeat the evil living just behind the door.

Seven years ago I had a nightmare in which I had been pushed through a mysterious door into a world full of horrifying monsters, wearing only my pajamas, and armed only with a bat. I woke up in a sweat, and I wrote it all down.

Gaia’s story explores the idea of bravery in the face of the unknown, emphasizing the kind that has to come from gumption rather than sense. We are not always brave when we need to be, but part of growing up is realizing that in the face of impossible forces, big changes, and the ever-approaching future, there’s no way to go but forward, one way or another. Whether it’s looking out into the world as a young adult with no plans, into the dark alone with a flashlight, or at a door you have no choice but to walk through, we all have to face the unknown at one time or another. The real question is will we open our eyes when we face it?

The Cat Burglar

My final Digital Short Story project for the MFA Visual Narrative program at the School of Visual Arts, spring 2015

I created all visual elements of this piece in Adobe Illustrator, and animated/composited in AfterEffects. The characters were animated using the DUIK plugin. Then, the entire animation was edited in Premiere, and sound designed in Audition. The project took from January to April 2015 to complete, script to screen.

The Cat Burglar

A humble Burglar's routine robbery goes awry when he is forced to steal a cat along with his prize. But when the cat worms its way into the Burglar's heart, he finds it hard to return to his lonely life without it.

Version One

I was given a comprehensive storyboard, the voiceover file, and the AI files for all assets. I completed the animation in AfterEffects, which took about a week.

Version One Enterprise Agile Solution

Citizen Primer

Two parts of a series of six infographics explaining government programs and concepts. I was given a script, and subsequently created the visual concept, design, and animation myself.

For the Affordable Care Act, I used a flat background and recurring bloblike characters to represent individuals. I created all assets in Photoshop and used AfterEffects to animate them.

For the Deficit and the National Debt, I created elements in Illustrator and used AfterEffects to animate. I also used a camera in AfterEffects to keep the background stagnant.

Citizen Primer: Deficits and the National Debt

Citizen Primer: Affordable Care Act (Obamacare)

"These short pieces are meant for anyone that has an interest in domestic US politics, though they are targeted at low-information voters. This project will remind voters (and future voters) of the relevance of the political process to their lives and give them a more complete knowledge of these processes. We hope the pieces also act as a model for effecting change in their world, encouraging others to create similar pieces as a form of social advocacy."

Jonald

I created this character in Illustrator and was waiting for the appropriate technology to help him dance. I got my chance when the Rubberhose plugin was released. This was animated in AfterEffects.

And now, a dance.

Benson

Benson, from Regular Show

I created the character out of shape layers in AfterEffects, and used the Rubberhose plugin for his arms and legs. I wanted to experiment with a smoother animation technique in AfterEffects that did not rely on importing vector files and converting them.

Benson!

Little Bird

Little Bird

Made with shape layers in AfterEffects, and rigged using Joysticks'n'Sliders.

The Boiling Point

My NO|ON (Narrative Object-Object Narrative) project for the MFA Visual Narrative program. We were given one object and one color to incorporate into a visual narrative featuring a preconceived character.

Color: Red

Object: Rubber Lobster

We were given the project assignment a few days before the July 4th break Summer 2014, and when we came back we had about 2 weeks of scripting and storyboarding, and then half a week to create a project.

I based my concept of this project off of Disney's "The Telltale Heart" animation narrated by James Mason.

I created all of the illustrations as independent assets and scanned them into Photoshop, where I shaded and cleaned them up. Then, I recorded the audio track, assembled the best cut, and animated the elements against the audio in AfterEffects. I sound designed this project in Audition.

With the assignment restrictions, I wanted to focus on how to tell a story through movement, timing, and fades, rather than character acting.

The Boiling Point

Karl, the captain of a flying ship, holds mob boss “The Lobster” at gunpoint, demanding his long overdue payment. The pressure mounts as his desperation increases and a storm finally catches up to him.

Within Reach

One of my animation practice tests based on idioms. I wanted to experiment with AfterEffects camera angles and a seamless use of the pin tool.

Within Reach

As the Crow Flies

One of my practice tests based on idioms. I wanted to incorporate vector time-remapping character animation and text in order to communicate a point. Animated in AfterEffects.

As the crow flies

Muybridge Horse in Perspective

48 drawings.

I wanted to not only draw an animal running sequence, but to experiment with zooms and changes of angle in a 2D handdrawn environment.